Blended Learning - A Glimpse of the EnlightED

During the last week, Madrid hosted the South Summit 2018 - an event in which disruptive innovators and startups meet to share their insights on technology and innovation. Our team did not let this opportunity pass by.

Amongst all the pitches and conferences which we were able to witness – and be inspired by – the concept of the EnlightED was of paramount curiosity and interest. What is the role of technology in education in our future? How can we reinvent education? Can technology, education and innovation co-exist? These were some of the questions that fueled the debates in place.

In a world of paradigm shifts in digital innovation, reinventing education is quintessential. Nowadays, technological implementations have been able to generate what we now call blended learning – a combination of online digital media with traditional classroom teaching methods. This approach has learning experience as the main source of competitive advantage, as opposed to direct instructions in prior conventional practices.

Arguably, performance and efficiency levels are enhanced, both from the student and educator perspective. By implementing such, there is the potential to extend the scope of education. Said opportunities improve the ability to personalize learning which inevitably fosters individual progress. At the Summit, we had the chance to feed off innovators that are putting into practice these key features.

Meet Stackfuel, a Berlin based startup which focuses on developing data science skills in workplaces. It offers an interactive e-learning environment with the option to contact a mentor whenever needed. Within the same notion lies Capaball – a Madrilène company that works on machine learning for human learning. Using artificial intelligence, the company analyses human thinking processes and improves neuro-linguistic competences.

Furthermore, we networked with a company that has the gamification process as its focal point. Through the use of engaging game-design elements in non-gaming contexts, the Lebanese startup named Cherpa teaches coding and robotics tailored to all kinds of ages. In addition, it provides professional teaching courses.

Through these aspiring individuals, it is evident that blended learning implementations are growing in our society – and are here to stay and revolutionise all axioms of education.